


Souvenirs and Coffee Shops

by crystalusagi



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-20
Updated: 2008-11-20
Packaged: 2017-11-05 04:12:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/402307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalusagi/pseuds/crystalusagi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yagyuu meets an interesting man at a coffee shop, and gets pulled back into a world he thought he’d left indefinitely.   For round 1 of the switching_it_up exchange on LJ.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Souvenirs and Coffee Shops

  
  
  
He found the coffee shop purely by coincidence. He didn't usually walk along the street that intersected the short, narrow alleyway, but he'd come back from a job interview and happened to pass that way. It was the strong smell that initially attracted him; he followed the scent into that alleyway, right up to the door. Its glass-paned window bore a modest sign that read, simply, "Rikkai," with the opening and closing hours in tiny lettering right below.    
  
The first thing Yagyuu saw when he opened the door was the polished wooden counter on which the cash register sat against a backdrop of shelves lined with bottles. For an instant Yagyuu thought he'd been mistaken, and it wasn't a coffee shop at all--those were unmistakably liquor bottles. But the entire place was soaked in the heavy aroma of coffee, and the man behind the counter smiled at Yagyuu and called out a welcome.    
  
When Yagyuu drew closer, he noticed a menu taped to the counter-top. It was a coffee shop, albeit one that leaned more towards the Irish variety. The menu was very simple: the customer's pick of the coffee blend, with or without milk, and an optional alcoholic add-in. Yagyuu almost smiled as he read the impressive list of add-in choices--Yamato would have liked this place. He ordered a cup of the shop's special blend, no add-ins.   
  
"Will you be drinking it here, or taking it with you?" asked the cashier. He was a remarkably attractive young man, maybe a few years younger than Yagyuu, with dark wavy hair framing his face. He had one of those infectious smiles that compelled one to smile back.    
  
"Here," Yagyuu replied, "thank you." What did he have to do today, now that the interview was over? It felt odd to not have an assignment dominating most of his waking hours, but it wasn't a bad feeling. He should get used to relaxing now.    
  
It became a part of Yagyuu's new routine--one that fit well with his new job and equally new apartment--to stop and get a cup of coffee from the little shop in the alleyway. Without thinking much about it, Yagyuu had become a regular. After the first couple of times, the man behind the counter introduced himself as the shop's owner, Yukimura Seiichi.    
  
* * *   
  
He took his time walking to Rikkai. It had been a long time since he'd seen Yukimura, and though he wouldn't admit it to Yukimura's face, he looked forward to the occasional visit that promised good company--not to mention all the spiked caffeine he could hope for.    
  
The sign on the door indicated that Rikkai wouldn't be open for another two hours, but Niou knew Yukimura well enough to guess that the shop's owner would already be there. He peered through the tinted glass, searching for some sign of life, and saw a small trickle of light from one of the back rooms. Satisfied that he was correct in his assumption, he rapped loudly on the glass pane with his knuckles and waited for some kind of answer. When none came, he kicked the door.   
  
He smirked when he heard the sound of locks disengaging, and leaned against the doorframe as Yukimura opened it.   
  
"Niou," Yukimura said, grinning when he saw who it was. "If you break the door, you're going to have to pay for it." He stepped back to wave Niou in, and as soon as the door closed behind him, reached out and pulled Niou into a hug. "Hey," he said in a softer voice. Yukimura smelled of coffee and spice, just as always, and Niou didn't pull away.   
  
"Missed me, eh?" Niou murmured as the hug ended. He smirked. "I'm touched."   
  
Yukimura shrugged. "One of your packages came in yesterday, and the order date was recent, so I figured you weren't dead yet."   
  
Niou laughed. No, not yet. He hoisted himself up to sit on the counter Yukimura stood behind, and glanced around the small coffee shop. "You got more furniture."   
  
"I got more customers." Yukimura paused in the process of laying out bills in the cash register. "When are you leaving?"   
  
Niou shrugged. Trust Yukimura to ask hard questions. He didn't have a gig yet, but that could change any day. "Whenever," he told him. "When you get bored o' me."   
  
Yukimura raised his eyebrow at him, as if to say, so now, then?, but Niou just laughed again.    
  
* * *   
  
A man sat on top of the counter, one elbow resting on the cash register. His hair was bleached an almost perfect white, and there was a few days' worth of stubble on his face. He was muttering in a low voice to Yukimura when Yagyuu came in, something that made the shop owner laugh until his face turned a touch red.    
  
When Yukimura stopped laughing and cast Yagyuu a welcoming smile, the stranger looked over at him with sharp eyes, a smirk twisting his lips. It was a quick glance, but Yagyuu could recognize a very thorough assessment when he saw one. His interest in the man went up a notch.    
  
He deposited his coat and book at one of the seats and came back to the counter to place his order. The white-haired man didn't make to move out of the way, until Yukimura placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed. "Off," he scolded, but there was no real heat in his voice.   
  
The man took his time sliding off; he kept his eyes locked to Yagyuu's, as if he was making a show of it. "'Scuse me," he said in a laughing tone that indicated he wasn't really looking for pardon at all. Yagyuu looked away just in time to see Yukimura roll his eyes rather indulgently.   
  
"The usual, Yagyuu-san?"   
  
"Yes, thank you." He paid, and went back to his seat to wait. There was something familiar about the white-haired man. It seemed as though Yagyuu had seen him before, but he couldn't quite remember where.    
  
* * *   
  
"Ah, Yagyuu-san," he heard Yukimura say with some measure of warmth halfway through the day. He looked up curiously-Yukimura was friendly with all his customers, but that tone was reserved for people actually liked.   
  
The man wore very tidy work clothes, and carried himself in a very put-together way, like he knew where each and every molecule of his body was and could control them all, too. He had rich brown hair that he kept as neat as his clothes, and wore glasses. Seeing him, Niou was struck with the overwhelming certainty that he'd seen this guy before. On a job.   
  
He kept his face blank as the man-Yagyuu, Yukimura had called him-approached the counter to put in his order. He murmured a polite greeting to Yukimura and cast a curious glance over at Niou. Niou watched his expression, wanting to see if Yagyuu recognized him. It didn't seem as though he did. Well, it had been a long time ago. Niou had a thing with faces, though. He never forgot one. It helped that this guy, when you looked closely enough, was pretty easy on the eyes.    
  
* * *   
  
"Here ya go, Yagyuu-san." The man stretched out the syllables of Yagyuu's name, and said it in a way that made it seem like a swear word. He didn't set Yagyuu's coffee down on the table, choosing instead to hold the cup and saucer hovering in the air until Yagyuu put his book down and took it from him. Their fingers touched, and the man didn't pull away until he was sure Yagyuu held the cup firmly.   
  
It wasn't until he'd finished half of his book that Yagyuu realized something: the man hadn't brought any of the shop's other patrons their coffee. Only Yagyuu.    
  
He had disappeared somewhere when Yagyuu passed the counter on his way out. Yukimura was gone too. Yagyuu stood staring there for a moment, then snapped out of it and made a hasty retreat before they came back and saw him. He was all the way home before he discovered that he'd left his book.    
  
* * *   
  
The white-haired man was sitting in Yagyuu's usual seat when he arrived the next Saturday. He had Yagyuu's book in his hands, and was flipping through it idly. Yagyuu took a seat on the opposite armchair and waited until he looked up.    
  
"Wanna know how it ends?" he asked him, smirking a little.   
  
"I've read it before," Yagyuu told him, which earned him a sigh of mock disappointment.   
  
"And I was looking forward to bargaining with you, too." He closed the book and tossed it back at Yagyuu, who caught it deftly.    
  
"I'm sorry to disappoint." He saw the man glance behind him, and looked back to see Yukimura coming toward them.    
  
"You're not harassing my patron, are you, Niou?"   
  
"Not yet," the man replied, grinning impishly and sinking further into his chair. Yagyuu wondered if the slight spread of his legs as he moved as an accident for a moment, but decided that accidents didn't seem very likely where this man was concerned.    
  
Yukimura's voice dripped with indulgent humor as he spoke. "I don't believe I've introduced you to this little pest, Yagyuu-san." He walked around so Yagyuu wouldn't have to strain his neck to look at him, and gestured. "This is Niou Masaharu, a good friend of mine. I'm afraid he already knows who you are."    
  
Yagyuu nodded in acknowledgment. "Niou-san, nice to meet you."   
  
* * *   
  
"The ending's crap for that one," he heard a familiar voice say, very close behind him. Yagyuu smiled and lowered his book onto his lap. After their second meeting, when he'd discovered that Niou was stealthy enough to sneak up on him, he'd purposefully chosen a seat facing away from the entrance, to see if Niou could do it again. Niou had done it again, snuck up on Yagyuu without his knowledge three more times, to date. The second time, he had gotten even closer than he currently was, whispered "Like a sitting duck" softly into Yagyuu's ear. Instead of being alarmed, or even challenged, Yagyuu'd just felt a little thrill that had nothing to do with fear or apprehension run silently all the way up his spine. It might have been good that he had retired, if his instincts had dulled so much.   
  
Of course, there was also the fact that no one else was able to pull such a maneuver on Yagyuu--only Niou. Yanagi certainly wasn't able to sneak up on him, and Yagyuu knew Yanagi kept his skills sharp. Were Niou's skills sharper? The more Yagyuu knew of Niou, the more interested he became.    
  
Niou was walking around the armchair now, and Yagyuu watched him. "How is it 'crap'?" he asked Niou in somewhat indulgent tones. They'd been meeting for a few weeks now, and it was familiar conversation. Every Saturday Niou appeared at some random time and sat down with Yagyuu to criticize his reading material. From there, their conversation invariably veered off into whatever subject seemed to be on Niou's mind that day. They'd talked about politics and yakuza tattoos and even ukiyo-e, with interesting results. Niou had a way of hijacking completely ordinary conversations that Yagyuu found quite refreshing. He'd enjoyed himself at Yukimura's coffee shop before, but now...    
  
"What, you haven't read it before?" Niou said mockingly. That smirk made his mouth look much too attractive; it didn't make any sense.    
  
"No," Yagyuu admitted. "Should I not, then?"    
  
"Only if you trust me." Niou sat down onto the opposite chair and leaned forward, eyes glinting. "Trust me?"    
  
Yagyuu leaned forward too. "I don't know," he said. "What are you this week, Niou-kun?"    
  
Yagyuu had asked Niou what he did for a living that first week, and Niou had told him he was an animal trainer. "For the circus," he'd added, completely straight-faced. "I'm very good with wild things." And Yagyuu had laughed for the first time in forever.   
  
Niou grinned at him. "I'm a traveling nurse."    
  
"Oh? And where will you be traveling?"    
  
Niou picked up Yagyuu's coffee mug and took a sip from it, making a face when he tasted tea instead of coffee. "Wherever they put me." He set the cup down and fixed Yagyuu with a look that was serious enough to indicate he wasn't really joking, not about the traveling part.    
  
Yagyuu stopped himself from leaning forward. "How long will you be gone?"    
  
A shrug. "Till I'm done."   
  
Before Yagyuu could ask more about it-and he wasn't sure that he would have-Niou changed the subject. They talked for a solid half hour about Yagyuu's hometown and the places Niou had traveled to, and the many places he hoped to go before he "ate it." Then Niou got up spontaneously the way he always did and went up to the front to talk to Yukimura. Yagyuu was left wondering more than ever what job-or jobs-his weekly conversation partner really had.    
  
* * *   
  
"Niou-kun," Yagyuu called out later when he was about to leave. The shop closed in half an hour, and Niou hadn't approached him again. Niou muttered something to Yukimura, then jumped off the counter and walked toward Yagyuu.    
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Would you like to have dinner tonight?" He wasn't sure if it was the knowledge that Niou would be gone for an indefinite amount of time or the fact that this was already their fifth week of teasing and testing that made him ask.   
  
Niou gave Yagyuu a piercing look that just made him all the more eager to receive his answer. "Where at?"    
  
"My home."    
  
Yagyuu supposed it shouldn't have surprised him that Niou took his time replying, pretending to think it over, affecting an air of indecision as Yagyuu waited. Finally, after a full minute or two, he simply nodded. "When?"    
  
He considered putting it off until later that night so he could stop by the grocery, but decided that it wasn't very important what they ate in this case. "Whenever you'd like," he told Niou.    
  
"Now, then?" Niou asked, his eyes unflinching as they held Yagyuu's gaze, his mouth curving slowly upward. There was a quality to his tone of voice that hinted at urgency, and Yagyuu knew it was deliberate.   
  
They stopped by the counter on their way out, and Niou murmured something to Yukimura that made him glance in Yagyuu's direction. When they were out on the street, Yagyuu brought up something that had perplexed him ever since their acquaintance started. "It doesn't bother Yukimura-san, that you're having dinner with me?"    
  
"It's just dinner," Niou pointed out.    
  
He must have frowned or given something away because when he looked over at Niou, the other man appeared to be highly amused.    
  
"He told me to have fun," Niou volunteered a few minutes later, "when I told him we'd be going to your place." Well. Yukimura wouldn't have said that if he was Niou's lover. The shop owner didn't seem like the type to share what belonged to him. Not that Niou could belong to anyone. Niou seemed the type that only belonged to himself. Nevertheless, Yagyuu didn't want to cause any uncomfortable feelings, not when he fully intended to keep on seeing Niou at Rikkai.    
  
He felt a jab at his side. "What're we having? You're gonna have to feed me first, ya know."   
  
First, Niou had said. Yagyuu smiled. "Oh, don't worry about that. I will."    
  
* * *   
  
When they got to his apartment, Yagyuu made dinner and they both finished their meal very quickly. Yagyuu cleared the dishes and put them into the sink, letting the water run over them for a bit before shutting it off. He could wash later.    
  
When he returned to the living room Niou was waiting for him, and he was smiling in a way that could only be described as predatory. Yagyuu didn't even have a chance to speak--Niou was already moving in, his arm snaking behind Yagyuu's neck to pull Yagyuu in. Yagyuu thought for a second that if Niou wanted to kill him, it would have been so easy, with no witnesses. It was an odd thought to have, but he didn't have time to dwell on it, because the next moment they were kissing.   
  
He groaned as their tongues slid together frantically, his entire body suddenly heating up. This had never happened so fast before. Yagyuu didn't invite people back to his home. This wasn't like anything Yagyuu had had experience with. This was Niou.    
  
He grabbed fistfuls of Niou's hair and pushed him against the door, bit Niou's lip back, hips thrusting against Niou's body as he heard Niou's low moan. They drew apart only because they were running out of breath. Niou dragged his shirt back from his collar and began to nip at the skin there, making goosebumps rise.    
  
"Wanna show me your room?" he said in between ragged breaths and more kisses, always more kisses.    
  
"Yes," Yagyuu replied, hands pausing from their effort to undo Niou's trousers. He pulled Niou into the bedroom, and pushed him onto the bed, reclaiming his mouth again. He could feel his cock fighting against the fabric of his trousers, he supposed Niou could feel it too, because he reached down to squeeze the bulge in Yagyuu's pants, worked the zipper down and pulled at his underwear.    
  
Yagyuu's breathing increased yet again as he bent his head to lick at the spot just above Niou's collarbone; a long shudder ran through Niou's body, and Yagyuu buried his face into the crook of Niou's neck to stop himself from coming right then. He jerked when he felt Niou's hand around his cock, stroking firmly. He groaned and pulled back, undid Niou's pants to return the favor.    
  
It didn't last long. It had been too long and it felt so very good to be jerking Niou off, right there in his own bed. Niou came first, groaning and pulsing in Yagyuu's hand, getting it everywhere--all over Yagyuu's hand, on his clothes, on his sheets. When Niou regained control of himself and reached down to stroke Yagyuu's cock again, the come making his hand glide, it was too much.   
  
It wasn't until much later that Niou said, in a raspy voice that made Yagyuu want to roll on top of him and do it all over again, "Nice room."    
  
* * *   
  
True to his word, Niou didn't show up at Rikkai the next week, or the next. When he did come back he looked a little wearier than usual. Yagyuu didn't ask where he'd been or what he'd done; it was none of his business.   
  
Some weeks Yagyuu would leave and Niou would follow him. Sometimes there was even dinner, if either one of them felt like prolonging things. Mostly they had sex. It wasn't all the time, and they didn't even always go to Yagyuu's apartment. Sometimes Niou pulled him into a dark corner in the alleyway outside of the coffee shop and got on his knees in front of Yagyuu, and Yagyuu had to try his best to keep silent and watch out for anyone--including Yukimura--as Niou sucked him off.    
  
Some weeks Niou wouldn't show up at all, and after that first time he didn't give any notification before he disappeared for weeks, sometimes even months on end. Yagyuu learned not to wait for him, not to expect him to be around.    
  
It was, on the whole, a good arrangement.    
  
* * *   
  
He slipped out of the room silently, smirking at the poorly concealed security camera on the bookshelf as he went. Let it capture him all it wanted--it wasn't like he could be recognized with all his gear on anyway. The hallway was dark, and Niou crept quickly along it until he reached the window through which he'd entered only half an hour before.    
  
He changed in a public bathroom right across from the park playground, slipping the small vase he'd taken as a souvenir in-between folds of his discarded clothing. By the time his client arrived he was rocking gently on one of the swings, working on his second cigarette. "Late, Yuuta," he commented, drawing out the words, flicking ash from his cigarette deliberately onto the folder that lay on the ground.   
  
The man in front of him frowned, and reached down to retrieve the folder. "Don't call me that."   
  
Niou smirked. "What, you prefer 'Fuji-san?'" Probably he didn't want his family name mentioned either, considering he'd just stolen from family and all. 'Something embarrassing. Anything,'he'd said. Niou considered asking what Fuji Shuusuke had done to deserve such treatment from his own brother, what he was going to do with the pictures Niou'd snagged, but decided against it. Fuji Yuuta didn't seem like the chatty type. He watched as the man opened the folder and went white. Yeah, something embarrassing all right. Niou pretended he wasn't paying attention when Fuji the Younger gathered himself enough to look up at him.   
  
"The rest of your payment." Niou took the cash the guy offered, counting it quickly. It was a quick and easy job, so not that much by way of compensation. No big deal; it was enough, anyway. It's not like Niou couldn't survive for a few months on what he earned from the last job.    
  
Besides, he still had the souvenir.    
  
* * *   
  
"What is it, Yanagi-san?" Yagyuu asked without looking up from the reports he was processing.    
  
"Your skills haven't dulled in the slightest, Hiroshi," Yanagi said, moving away from the doorway and toward Yagyuu's desk. He was smiling. From Yanagi, this was a true compliment.    
  
"I wouldn't be surprised it they had. I don't have much chance to use them." Of course, Yagyuu knew Yanagi still sometimes took jobs, perhaps out of boredom. It wasn't something they spoke of, but he could guess that those office visits from Yamato weren't entirely pleasure. Yamato had had his computer out the last time Yagyuu happened upon them in Yanagi's office.   
  
"You could always go out of retirement," Yanagi pointed out.    
  
Yagyuu looked up. "Clearly," he said, making gesture at their surroundings, "I am not retired." He managed a smile for Yanagi. "I was only following in your example. Surely you don't want me to go back."    
  
Yanagi shook his head. "It's Yamato who wants you back. I happen to think that a client now and then would do you good, if you don't mind my saying. Perhaps not the physical things, but--" He cut himself short. "I didn't mean to imply that you wouldn't be able to manage the physical things."    
  
"No, I understand." Yanagi always knew too much about people. It shouldn't have been a surprise that he knew about this too. "Did you need something from me?"    
  
"Something has come up and I need to go abroad in December. I've asked Genichirou, and he says you have that time slot. Would it be all right for us to switch?"    
  
Yagyuu nodded. "That's fine, but I only requested the first two weeks of December. Will that be sufficient?"   
  
"Yes. the first two weeks are all I need. I really appreciate this, Hiroshi." Yanagi turned to leave, then remembered something and turned back. "Ah, your new vacation time starts next week. I hope you enjoy yourself. Thank you again."    
  
* * *   
  
Niou burst through door and raced to the elevator, pushing the lobby button as the doors closed behind him.    
  
A dark-haired man dressed in expensive athletic wear got out of the elevator in the lobby and exited the hotel, oversized gym bag slung casually over his shoulder. He nodded at the receptionist as he walked past, and whistled all the way across the shiny marble floor to the entrance. Once out on the sidewalk, he started to walk in the direction of the park.    
  
When he was far enough away by his own judgment to be a hard target, Niou broke into a fast run.    
  
He felt like laughing. There had been a sniper waiting for him when he got back to the room he was staying at for the week. By the looks of it, the sniper hadn't meant to kill; he wouldn't have shot so low unless he was aiming for Niou's balls or some shit. Whoever it was had wanted to immobilize him first. Niou had rolled out of the line of fire just in time, grabbed his shit from the doorway where he'd dropped it, and got the fuck out. What was really interesting was that he didn't have a clue who it was. He hadn't offended anyone too greatly in the recent past. Mostly small jobs. Nothing to warrant an assassin. Nothing he knew about, anyway.    
  
Well, it was probably a good idea to lay low for a while.    
  
* * *   
  
The dark-haired man with the gym bag disappeared into the men's bathroom in a local bar. The person who came out ten minutes later wore plain street clothes and a backpack on his shoulders. His hair was dyed a bright red. As he made his way further into the crowd, he worked at the piece of gum in his mouth, blowing a bubble or two. He sat next to a bald, dark-skinned man who nursed a drink in the corner.    
  
"Hey, Jackal," Niou greeted him. "Anything interesting going on?"    
  
Kuwahara Jackal's expression was one of surprise, at least before he masked it behind one that suggested familiarity. "Hey. Marui," he said with too much emphasis. Jackal was never good at this kinda thing. Niou stole his drink and took a gulp. "Interesting thing: you know Niou Masaharu, the guy who does solo snatches?" Jackal asked, voice softer.    
  
Niou set the drink down and smiled. "Yeah, yeah. I remember him from that one time. What about him?"    
  
"There's someone looking for him, willing to pay a lot of money to have him found. A lot of his hang-outs--pretty much all the places he's stayed at before, they're all being watched." All of them. Niou was impressed despite himself.    
  
"Who's someone?" he asked.   
  
Jackal shrugged. "No clue. Someone with enough resources to employ Yamato Yuudai."    
  
Well, shit. Yamato Yuudai was the guy people called on when they really, really wanted their problems solved. If you could pay an arm and a leg for it, then he or one of his people would see that things got done. The sniper was just the beginning.   
  
"Are you sticking around long?" Jackal asked. "I'm meeting my brother soon."    
  
"You mean the guy with the weird hair and loud mouth?" Niou asked, blowing another bubble. Jackal didn't have a brother. He was probably meeting the real Marui soon. It was time to leave.   
  
Jackal laughed. "Yes. Though you shouldn't speak."    
  
"Better not run into him," Niou muttered. "Things might get messy. Bye, then." He stood up and gave a mock-salute to Jackal. "Thanks, yeah?"    
  
The other man nodded. "Take care of yourself."    
  
"Will do."    
  
* * *   
  
Niou was on the train halfway to Kanagawa before it occurred to him that he couldn't shack up at Yukimura's place. Sure, he hadn't given anyone in the business the address, but that didn't mean that people didn't know about it. It wasn't like Niou had bothered with any kind of disguise when he was at Yukimura's. Going to Yukimura's now might be dangerous. If there were snipers involved again, it wouldn't just be Niou who'd be in danger either, and Yukimura would be pissed if his shop got shot up.    
  
It wasn't like he could get off the train anyway, so Niou rode it all the way to Kanagawa. Once there, he sat on one of the benches in the station until they were ready to close and kicked him out. It wasn't as if he liked sitting on those uncomfortable things, he just needed to decide where to go.    
  
It would have to be Yagyuu. No one knew about their little acquaintance aside from Yukimura, and Yagyuu wasn't really a normal person. If things turned to shit Yagyuu could take care of himself. Probably. And even if he couldn't, well...if that happened Niou'd be screwed too.   
  
Niou ignored the whatever-it-was that was tugging at his insides and took the street that went in the direction of Yagyuu's place. They weren't that close anyway. It was better than putting Yukimura in danger, wasn't it?    
  
* * *   
  
Yagyuu woke up to the doorbell ringing and slipped off the bed to answer. Shaking off the grogginess of sleep, he wondered who would call in the middle of the night, and concluded that it probably wasn't someone he wanted to open the door for. He checked the peephole. The person on the other side looked familiar. He cracked the door open, leaving the bolt and chain engaged.    
  
It took him a few seconds to register that the man standing in front of him with bright red hair was actually Niou.   
  
He had a heavy-looking bag slung over his shoulder, and his clothes were different, not what he'd usually wear. His hair worn like that masked the true shape of his face, but it didn't change his eyes. The eyes were the same. He leaned against the door-frame and blinked calmly at Yagyuu, grin curving his lips smoothly. "Can I crash here a few nights?" he asked.   
  
Yagyuu hadn't expected it to be Niou. Niou had never come to Yagyuu's home on his own, and Yagyuu had assumed that it was an arrangement that would never change. But there he was, asking to be let in. Yagyuu's instincts told him to refuse. He ignored them and stepped aside to let Niou pass.   
  
He could afford to have a house guest for a few days--he was on vacation, after all.    
  
The hair, Yagyuu discovered, wasn't permanent. Niou came out of the shower scrubbing at his usual head of bleached-white hair with a towel, smirking at Yagyuu when he saw him looking.    
  
"Thought you were gonna have to deal with the new 'do, didn't ya?" he asked, coming over to drape the damp towel on the back of Yagyuu's sofa. "How've you been? Sorry if I woke you." He said it in the tone of someone who'd woken somebody else up at 3 a.m. and wasn't at all repentant. At least only his hair has changed, and that change a temporary one, Yagyuu thought.   
  
They shared the bed because it was easier than pulling out the futon, and it wasn't as if Niou hadn't been on it before. He lent Niou his pajamas, because Niou didn't bring any, and he assumed that Niou had used his toothbrush too, because he came out of the shower with the smell of Yagyuu's toothpaste on his breath, and Yagyuu hadn't seen him take anything from his bag when he went into the bathroom. They lay side by side on the bed, in the dark. It was too warm with Niou so close to him, and the sound of Niou's breathing was distracting somehow. He could tell by the pattern of the breathing that the other man wasn't asleep either, though he was getting there.    
  
"Why me, and not Yukimura this time?" he asked quietly after a while. It was really just a question to himself. Niou had finally fallen asleep.    
  
* * *   
  
He woke up with an erection straining against the fabric of his pants, and Niou's leg rubbing against it. If Niou was awake, he didn't give any indication to it as Yagyuu very carefully extracted himself from the entanglement.   
  
When he came out of the bathroom Niou was awake and rummaging through the refrigerator.   
  
"I finished all the leftovers last night," Yagyuu told him. "If you want something you'll have to go get it on your own."   
  
"No alcohol," Niou mumbled, sifting through some things on the top shelf and making a face at it.   
  
"There's a six-pack of beer somewhere in the pantry." Renji had brought it six months ago when he first got the place, and neither of them had ever touched it.   
  
Niou went searching.   
  
By the time Yagyuu got back from his trip to the supermarket for groceries, his apartment smelled of cigarette smoke and beer.    
  
'I'd appreciate it if you smoke near a window,' Yagyuu wanted to say, but he kept his mouth closed when he realized Niou was reading. It was one of his books--his favorite, in fact. The paperback's pages were slightly worn from reading, as was the spine. Niou's cigarette was still smoking away between his lips, and just before the ash fell he took it in hand and flicked the ash into the can of beer on the coffee table.    
  
"Would you like to know how it ends?" he asked Niou, mimicking Niou's words from the first time they talked.    
  
Niou smirked, and returned to his reading. "Read it before."    
  
"Well then you can stop and help me prepare lunch."    
  
Without argument, Niou set the book down and stood up, looking at Yagyuu expectantly as if to say, 'Okay, what do I do?' Niou had helped out at Yukimura's shop, too, Yagyuu remembered. He brushed the thoughts of Yukimura away; there was no reason to keep on thinking of Yukimura in relation to Niou. It wasn't as if he was comparing himself to Yukimura.    
  
Yagyuu's kitchen wasn't big by most standards, and it was a bit crowded with two people, but they managed somehow. As they worked Yagyuu asked Niou what he thought of the book, and the question gave way to a discussion on the main character's morals and state of mind. Before Yagyuu realized it, the cooking was done.   
  
"Don't you have work or something?" Niou asked him halfway through the meal. "I thought you'd be gone in the morning." He didn't say it in a way that implied he'd wanted Yagyuu to be gone in the morning. Just curiosity.   
  
"I'm on vacation," Yagyuu explained. "I'm not due back for another week and a half."   
  
"What, no hot springs? Travel?"   
  
"You're lucky I didn't have anything planned. I wouldn't have been able to open the door for you," Yagyuu pointed out. He wondered what Niou would have done then. Would he have gone to Yukimura?    
  
Niou laughed. "Guess so."    
  
* * *   
  
They spent the rest of the day just relaxing. After the meal Niou switched on the television, and they passed several hours watching reruns of old series, which were quite amusing with Niou on the sidelines, making quirky remarks about the characters. They watched until dinner.    
  
After dinner, as they took turns washing and rinsing, Niou suggested that they play a game.   
  
"What kind of game?"    
  
"Cards."   
  
"I don't have any playing cards."    
  
"I do."    
  
An amused tone of voice: "You don't own a third change of clothes or a toothbrush, but you have cards."    
  
"Yup. Wanna play, or what?"    
  
"All right."   
  
They played poker, and Niou won the first game, and the second one. On the third they managed a tie, and Yagyuu won the next two.    
  
"Think you can read my bluffs now?" Niou asked him as they started a sixth game.    
  
"Perhaps."    
  
Niou grinned at him. "Let's up the stakes."    
  
"How?"    
  
The grin widened. "Loser gives winner a blowjob."    
  
That wasn't exactly 'upping the stakes.' "You're just looking for an excuse, aren't you?"   
  
"You in, or what?"    
  
It wasn't as if Yagyuu would actually say no to sex, and even if he lost, well. The noises Niou made were well worth the effort. "All right."   
  
Niou didn't even look smug when Yagyuu lost the game, 20 minutes in. He just gathered the cards and stowed them away in their box, then stood up and went to sit on the couch. His erection pressed against his jeans; Yagyuu felt himself hardening even further in response.    
  
"Come here," Niou said in a soft voice, more of a suggestion than a command. Yagyuu went over and got on his knees on front of Niou, hands sliding up to press against Niou's thighs.    
  
"Shall I give you your prize now, Niou-kun?"    
  
"Yeah," Niou answered bluntly. He undid his jeans for Yagyuu, and eased his cock out. It had already grown to full hardness, and was flushed and leaking at the tip. Yagyuu leaned in to lick at it, slowly from base to tip, and watched as Niou's mouth fell open slightly. He could feel his own cock twitch in response, and he did it again, trying to get Niou's cock wet first.    
  
"Tease," Niou bit out after a few minutes of the licking, a clear sign that he was ready for Yagyuu to move on to the actual cock sucking. Yagyuu smiled, and obliged, taking the head into his mouth. Niou made a small, barely discernible noise and bucked his hips forward a bit, trying to work himself deeper into Yagyuu's mouth. When Yagyuu started working Niou's cock in and out of his mouth, sucking hard at it, Niou shuddered and moaned. 'Yes, this,' Yagyuu thought, mind turning a little foggy with lust. He worked Niou's cock faster with his mouth, bobbing his head up and down rhythmically, anything to make Niou keep moaning like that.   
  
Niou reached out to tangle his fingers in Yagyuu's hair, to hold on. "Yeah, fuck, Yagyuu," he murmured, voice husky. He arched his back, tried to get in deeper. Yagyuu pulled off for a second, relaxed his throat, and took Niou back into his mouth, swallowing him all the way down to the root. It elicited another loud moan, and as he began a slow, careful slide up, then all the way down again, he felt Niou's body tense, and shudder. Niou's grip on his hair now was so tight it bordered on pain, but that only made Yagyuu hotter, his entire body feeling like it was burning up.    
  
"Fuck, m'gonna..." Niou began to thrust into Yagyuu's mouth, his cock hitting the back of Yagyuu's throat. Yagyuu let him, and didn't pull back, just kept on moving and sucking until Niou groaned and he could taste come in his mouth. He swallowed and choked a little, pulled back and used his hand to stroke Niou the rest of the way. In another minute or so it was over. His hand was soaked in Niou's come, and the taste of it lingered in the back of his throat. Still on his knees, Yagyuu leaned heavily against the sofa, his face pressed against Niou's thigh, and took his cock in hand at last, jerked himself. It only took a few strokes to do it. He came with Niou's come smeared all over his cock, and Niou's eyes on him, watching his face as it happened.    
  
* * *   
  
The next day, just as they were finishing up their breakfast, the phone rang. It was Sanada. "There's been a problem with one of the computers," his boss said. "I know it's your time off, but can you come and take a look at it? There's important information on it, and no one else has been able to do anything." Sanada sounded annoyed, and Yagyuu knew that there would be a lecture to his coworkers after the problem is dealt with about expectations and being able to meet them.   
  
"Yanagi-san?" The reason Sanada only allowed one of them to go on vacation at once was because they could manage things in the other's absence. Yanagi was likely even more skilled than Yagyuu was, in reality.    
  
Yagyuu could almost see the frown that was in Sanada's voice. "Today is his day off, and I can't seem to reach him."    
  
Yagyuu glanced at Niou, who was gulping down the rest of his coffee at the coffee table, his attention on the cartoons on television. "I can be there in half an hour," he said.    
  
"Good," Sanada said, sounding relieved. "Come into my office when arrive." They hung up, and Yagyuu turned to Niou.    
  
"Something's come up at work, and I have to go in for a bit," he informed Niou. "Would you like anything for lunch?"    
  
Niou shrugged. "Whatever's fine."   
  
"All right. I'll be back soon."    
  
* * *   
  
He came back from the office to find Yanagi's shoes on the doormat outside. He unlocked the door with more urgency than was warranted and opened it to find Niou and Yanagi on the couch, eating.   
  
"Took you long enough," Niou called out. "Had to entertain your friend here." He tilted his face Yanagi's way, grinned at him.   
  
"I'm sorry for coming uninvited," said Yanagi, "but I thought you could use some food." Yagyuu raised an eyebrow at the plates they held.   
  
"But you took so long we had to start without you," Niou said. "Couldn't be rude to your guest by making him starve, could I?" Make yourself at home, Yagyuu had told him.   
  
"Of course not." Niou and Yanagi seemed unusually intimate for two people who had only met a few hours ago. Of course, Niou had that way of getting under one's skin. He realized with some dismay that he had not known Niou for very long either-certainly not long enough to stake any sort of claim on him.   
  
"There's some food left in the kitchen if you're hungry, Hiroshi." Yagyuu saw Niou look at Yanagi a little sharply at the mention of his given name. Yagyuu resisted the completely bizarre urge to smile.   
  
"Ah, thank you," he said instead. He went to the kitchen and put the food that he'd bought for them in the refrigerator first, then surveyed the choices Yanagi had brought. Orange chicken and stir-fry eggplant. He took the stir fry and some rice from the rice cooker and rejoined the other two in the living room. "I was at work," he told Yanagi.   
  
Yanagi frowned. "You're on holiday, aren't you?"   
  
Yagyuu nodded a confirmation. "Sanada called me in. There was a problem with some data, and he couldn't contact you."   
  
"My cell phone is broken, and I wasn't at home today," Yanagi explained. "I trust you took care of it?"   
  
Yagyuu nodded, finished chewing the bit of food in his mouth before speaking. "It seemed to be a hacker's work. I was able to close off the security breakage and recover the data, but I couldn't make out who did it."   
  
"I should call Genichirou. May I use your phone?"   
  
"Of course."   
  
Niou helped Yagyuu clean up the dishes as Yanagi talked to Sanada on the phone. When he was finished with the call, he went into the kitchen to say goodbye.   
  
"Niou, it was nice to meet you." To Yagyuu, he said, "I was wrong, Hiroshi. Perhaps retirement does suit you well." An amused smile. What had he and Niou talked about while Yagyuu was gone?    
  
"So is he a good friend?" Niou asked, when Yanagi was gone.   
  
Yagyuu considered it. "I suppose so. We used to be coworkers at another company, and I transferred over with him. It was a retirement, of sorts." Was it his imagination, or did Niou's eyes sharpen at that?    
  
"What'd you used to do?"   
  
Yagyuu shook his head. "Much of the same thing, except perhaps more specialized. It's not important."    
  
Niou's expression was tantamount to a shrug. "Whatever you say."    
  
* * *   
  
Niou was gone when Yagyuu woke up. He padded out of the living room and checked the rest of the house for any signs of Niou. No, he wasn't there. But his bag was still there, sitting in a corner in the living room. Yagyuu resisted the urge to look inside, see what else he had in there aside from clothes and playing cards. And hair dye.   
  
It had been almost a week since Niou showed up at his doorstep asking to stay for a few days, and each morning Yagyuu woke up thinking that Niou would leave today, only to discover that he was still there. He lounged on the sofa most days and smoked, going through Yagyuu's book collection rapidly as he did. When he was bored with the reading, he'd go and sit by Yagyuu and pester him for conversation or another game of poker. They watched television together. He only went out during the night, and for a very short time periods. During the day, he stayed inside. At least until today.   
  
Well, perhaps it would be good, to have a day to himself.    
  
He spent the day tidying up the house, and ate the leftovers from Yanagi's visit. Niou still hadn't come back by dinner, so Yagyuu left some food for him in the refrigerator. After dinner he settled down to watch the news.    
  
"A man named Niou Masaharu, suspected of theft and murder, escaped police custody last night. The man, who is approximately 175 cm tall with bleached hair, is extremely dangerous, and those who come into contact with him at advised to contact the authorities immediately. Following the report is..."    
  
Yagyuu was almost glad that he'd paid an obscene amount of money to get the new cable system that allowed one to go forward and rewind the programming. He pressed the rewind button on the remote and waited until that particular news story started again, then set the box to record it.    
  
When it had finished recording, he turned the TV off and sat back against the couch. Theft and murder. Niou's resume was as impressive as Yagyuu's own, that was for sure. He found himself wondering if Niou would be okay, now that the general public was on the look-out for him.    
  
* * *   
  
When Niou came back he played the recording for him. Niou sat there and listened to the description of himself with the same amused smile he used when they first met, like it was all somehow a very impressive joke that'd been played on him.   
  
He laughed. "Guess I'm a fugitive now," he said easily, as if it wasn't serious at all, just the law playing a friendly game of hide and seek with him. Nothing to be concerned about. "Though the murder thing isn't really true. They must want me pretty bad, to resort to framing."    
  
Yagyuu frowned. That bit about Niou having escaped the previous night had also been a lie. If Niou had been in custody while he was living with Yagyuu, Yagyuu would have known.    
  
"Relax," Niou told him, reaching around in his pockets for something, probably a smoke. "If they find out you can just tell them I forced you. You were kidnapped. Held hostage. Et cetera." He found it, a lone cigarette half-crumpled in his back pocket. His other hand held a lighter.   
  
Yagyuu watched as he smoked, leaning his back against the couch, the tension of his arms as he held the cigarette the only clue that this news was bothering him in the slightest. He couldn't stop himself from reaching over and plucking the stick away from Niou's fingers, bringing it to his mouth and taking a deep drag, letting the hot smoke fill his lungs, tickle at his throat; he fought back a cough and took another drag.   
  
"Gonna kick me out now?" Niou asked, taking it in stride and casting him a sideway glance as he spoke.   
  
Yagyuu didn't answer. He didn't know if he had an answer, though most probably it should have been yes. How much did he know about Niou other than of his good taste in books, his bizarre taste in music, and his uncanny ability to press just the right buttons?   
  
The arch of his spine as he took his shirt off. The way he slept, limbs taking up too much space, thigh pressing between Yagyuu's legs at nigh. The way Yagyuu woke up and found himself sweating, Niou wrapped tightly around him, messy white hair tickling his skin.   
  
Of course, there was the possibility that Niou wouldn't listen, wouldn't leave that easily. Yagyuu had let him in against better judgment, and it just seemed a little too late to regret it now.   
  
* * *   
  
Niou was already awake when Yagyuu woke up early the next day. Yagyuu stared.   
  
Niou was dressed in Yagyuu's clothes, but that wasn't what was surprising. He'd been borrowing Yagyuu's clothes for a few days now, having run out of his own. Yagyuu had indicated that there was a washer and dryer downstairs in the back lobby, but Niou had just continued rummaging through his dresser every night in search of clothes. No, that Niou was wearing his clothes wasn't surprising. What was surprising was his hair, which was no longer the shocking white Yagyuu had become used to, but a brown that resembled Yagyuu's hair color. It was also combed down and parted exactly the way Yagyuu's was.   
  
"Good morning," Niou said in a fair imitation of Yagyuu's voice. "I hope you don't mind my borrowing this for a few hours." He made a gesture at his person, and Yagyuu wondered what he meant by this--Yagyuu's clothes, or his identity? Niou went on, this time in his own voice. "I'm gonna be you for today, so don't go out till I come back."   
  
Yagyuu was still staring. Even the mole on one side of Niou's chin was gone. "And what do you plan to do as me?" he asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.   
  
"Nothing you wouldn't do," was Niou's reply. Yagyuu wasn't sure that answer reassured him. Yagyuu had done a lot of things in the past that any normal person wouldn't do.    
  
"I don't think it would be wise for you to go out so soon after that...announcement last night."   
  
Niou grinned. "That's why you're going out."   
  
It made a sort of sense. Trust Niou to think of something so far-fetched. With his hair like that, and with the glasses, he looked almost like Yagyuu's twin.    
  
"Be safe, then," Yagyuu told him. "And bring lunch back with you."    
  
"Sure thing," Niou called back just as the door closed, leaving Yagyuu alone in his apartment again.    
  
* * *   
  
He got a call from Yanagi that afternoon, while Niou was away wearing his clothes, using his identity. "Have you seen the news lately?" Yanagi asked after the usual greetings were exchanged. Yagyuu told him no. There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "I've taped it for you; there's something I think you might find interesting."   
  
Yagyuu let out a small sigh that he hoped wouldn't be heard over the phone. "I don't think that's necessary," he informed Yanagi quietly. A longer silence followed, and then Yanagi laughed.   
  
"I didn't realize," he said, and Yagyuu was sure he knew what Yanagi meant.   
  
"I didn't either," he answered, smiling somewhat in dismay.   
  
"Mm. What is it about him?"   
  
"I don't really know what it is. It could be nothing, but I don't know. If I claimed I wasn't curious you'd call my bluff, wouldn't you?" Yanagi knew him well enough to know that Yagyuu couldn't resist a mystery, couldn't resist trying to solve the problem himself, before the end.   
  
"I trust your judgment." Then, as an afterthought, "I won't say anything to anyone."   
  
Yagyuu murmured his thanks.    
  
"Hiroshi?" Yanagi called just before Yagyuu hung up. "Please be careful."   
  
"Yes, I will."   
  
* * *   
  
Niou came back an hour after the phone call and shrugged Yagyuu's jacket off, draping it over the sofa's back. "Hey," he said, nodding at Yagyuu, a corner of his lips lifting up in something of a smile; it looked more like a smirk.   
  
"Where did you go?" Yagyuu asked, half-expecting Niou to turn away, refuse to answer, or maybe just ignore him.   
  
"To get s'more cigs. And ask around. I think I know who's after me."   
  
"Oh?" Yagyuu asked. "Are you going to share the information?"    
  
Niou shook his head. "S'better if you didn't get involved, right?"    
  
Yagyuu watched as Niou unbuttoned the shirt he was wearing--Yagyuu's shirt--and took it off as well. "I suppose." He thought about the conversation he had earlier with Yanagi. He'd done enough for Niou, hadn't he? "What are your plans?"    
  
Niou's expression grew fierce. "Find out why."    
  
* * *   
  
It was risky, but Niou had to see if anyone else had information about whoever it was who was after him. He didn't take Yagyuu's clothes this time, just sprayed his hair black and put a cap on. He went to the bar again, and this time, found Marui Bunta. The man he'd impersonated just a week before was sitting with a crowd of people, waving his warms and talking really fast. It was obvious he was drunk. There was no use going there. He turned to leave, and bumped into someone.   
  
The man's eyes widened upon seeing him. Niou cursed inwardly and clamped a hand over the guy's mouth to keep him quiet. He guided the both of them out of the bar, into the open air.    
  
"Call me Hiroshi if you're gonna address me," he murmured quietly, then let go.    
  
"Don't do that!" Kirihara Akaya exclaimed, eyes bright. "Do you know how embarrassing it is to be manhandled like that?"   
  
Niou reached out and ruffled his hair. "Couldn't be sure you wouldn't blab on me." The pushed at Kirihara's shoulder. "D'you know where I can find Jackal?"    
  
Kirihara made a face. "I haven't seen him for a few days now. Whadduya need him for?"   
  
"Need to ask him if he knows who's been asking after me."   
  
Kirihara actually blinked at him. "Well. I know who."   
  
It turned out that it was Fuji Shuusuke. It made a lot of sense now that Niou thought about it. Fuji was a pretty recent job, and he had the power and influence to do something like put Niou on the wanted list. The question was why? Couldn't be because he'd seen those pictures, right?    
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind him. Someone was trying their best to follow him undetected, but Niou had a good ear for that kind of thing, and it was a quiet street. When he made the next turn, he started to run.   
  
* * *   
  
Yagyuu woke up and the bed was empty. He sat up in the darkness and reached out to grab his glasses from the nightstand. His eyes adjusted to the improved sight after a moment.   
  
Niou's shoes were there, Yagyuu noticed when he went out to the living room, so he was in the house somewhere. He turned toward the bathroom.    
  
Niou's blood looked especially bright under the fluorescent light of the bathroom. Yagyuu stood there in the doorway and watched as it dripped down Niou's arm onto the tiled floor. There was a softly hissed "Shit!" that came from Niou, and Yagyuu wasn't sure if it was from the pain or the realization that he was standing right there, watching.   
  
"Do you need help?" Yagyuu asked him, his voice mostly calm.    
  
Niou considered, gripping his arm with white-knuckled fingers. He managed a smile as he nodded, "Sure, if ya want."   
  
Yagyuu came closer and inspected the wound on Niou's arm. It was a bullet wound, and it was bleeding profusely.    
  
"Probably need to take it out," Niou told him. "Got some sort of..." It seemed like he wanted to make some sort of gesture with his hand, but it was still gripping the injured arm.    
  
"Yes," Yagyuu answered, guessing what he meant. No, he didn't have anything to pick out a bullet with. "The convenience store..." Actually, he wasn't sure the convenience store would sell anything like that either. It had been a long time since he'd needed that kind of equipment.    
  
Niou exhaled slowly, closing his eyes. "Guess we're waiting till morning," he mumbled. "Can you bandage me up?" He nodded at the gauze and bandages that were already laid out on the bathroom counter.    
  
"We have to disinfect it first," Yagyuu said as he reached for the bottle of antiseptic and opened it. "Brace yourself." Niou gave him a staccato nod. Yagyuu poured the antiseptic on, and Niou jumped, eyes screwed shut again. "Fuck," he bit out, a fine tremble shaking his body. Yagyuu realized he had at some point taken hold of Niou's wrist. The skin felt too hot, and Niou was too pale, and he didn't let go of the wrist until Niou stopped shaking.   
  
"Hurts about the same every time," Niou gritted out.    
  
"It's to be expected if you make a habit of getting shot at," Yagyuu told him. He pressed the gauze to the wound and had Niou hold it there while he got the bandages. He wound them firmly around the arm, trapping the gauze in place. The blood kept on seeping from underneath the bandages, so he applied another layer of gauze. It was a good thing he'd done this before.    
  
When it was all done, Niou's bicep was a big bulge of bandages--Niou looked down at it, almost amused--and Yagyuu's bathroom tiles had blood on them, diluted by antiseptic solution.    
  
They leaned against the counter. Yagyuu reached over and dug into Niou's pocket for his cigarettes and lighter, and lit up two. He gave one to Niou, and starting smoking himself. The smoke didn't make him want to cough this time; it just traveled straight through his lungs and back out again, smooth and easy. The tension didn't go away, but it eased just a little.   
  
Niou took a drag from his cigarette, coughed, then chuckled. "You smoke now? 'M I a bad influence?"   
  
Yagyuu wanted to laugh too. Trust Niou to talk about the smoking, after all of that. "Yes, I suppose."    
  
"So, I found out who posted that nice little wanted ad on the news."   
  
"And got shot for the privilege?"   
  
Niou laughed again. "No, that happened after. Some guy followed me. Hard time shaking him without a gun of my own."    
  
"If you had told me what you were going out again, I might have lent you mine," Yagyuu muttered. Then he remembered that Niou wasn't supposed to know about the gun, or about any of it. Smoking truly did relax him too much.    
  
Niou exhaled smoke and gave Yagyuu a side-long look. "I saw you, on one of my jobs."    
  
"Which one?"    
  
Niou told him.    
  
"Ah. That was a long time ago." He held the cigarette between his lips and took his glasses off. He wiped them with a corner of his shirt. "So who is it? Who's after you."    
  
"Fuji Shuusuke."   
  
"The politician?" Why would a politician go through all that trouble to go after Niou?   
  
"That's the one." Niou didn't sound very happy about it. "I stole some pictures for his brother few weeks ago. Didn't really believe he'd hire Yamato Yuudai to find me because of some pictures, though."    
  
Yagyuu almost dropped his cigarette. "Yamato Yuudai."   
  
Niou tilted his head to look at Yagyuu. "Know him?"    
  
"Yes, I do." How would Niou react if Yagyuu told him?    
  
Niou chuckled. "Of course. His bunch are pretty much famous in the business, ain't they?"   
  
Yagyuu brought he cig to his lips again. It was a small bathroom and the smoke burned his eyes. ‘What happens now?’ he wanted to ask. "Can you sleep?" he asked instead.   
  
"Maybe."   
  
"You can have the bed to yourself," Yagyuu told him.   
  
"Okay." Yagyuu watched as he took a few more deep drags from his cigarette. Then he pressed it under the faucet and let the residual water put the light out. He left the bathroom then, calling a 'good night' over his shoulder.   
  
Yagyuu remained and smoked his entire cigarette, then went to the phone and called Yanagi.    
  
* * *   
  
"Do you know where I could purchase tweezers?"    
  
There was a pause on the other line. "Why do you need them?"   
  
Yagyuu adjusted his glasses; he could still smell the smoke on his fingers. "There's something I can't reach without them."    
  
Another pause, this one filled with the sounds of Yanagi moving, sorting through things, pulling drawers open. "When do you need them?" he asked in a distracted voice.   
  
Yagyuu wondered how he could have worded it, then gave up. "Immediately. As soon as possible."    
  
"I see," Yanagi said in a tone that implied he really didn't. "I don't know where you could get some in your area, but I pass by a place on my way to work. I could get them and bring them to you in the morning."    
  
"If it's not too much trouble. I would appreciate it."    
  
"Do you want long-nosed tweezers?"    
  
Yagyuu murmured a 'yes'; he didn't know exactly how deep the bullet went, so long-nosed tweezers would probably be wise.    
  
"I can be at your house at around 8 or 9," Yanagi told him.   
  
"Good." A pause. "Yanagi."    
  
"Yes?"    
  
"You still get the newsletter, don't you?"    
  
A sigh on the other line. He did know. "So you've found out," he muttered. "I haven't told Yamato or anyone else about Niou, Hiroshi."    
  
"What does Fuji Shuusuke want?"   
  
"I have no idea. You'd have to ask Yamato."   
  
"And he would ask me what I could give him in return."    
  
"Would it be so bad, to work for him again?"    
  
No, it wouldn't. Yagyuu had enjoyed the challenge at MDN. Nevertheless, he had retired for a reason, and Yamato had agreed to let him go. "I'm not sure I would be up to the task."    
  
"Just think about it. You know Yamato is always recruiting new talent. He could get Niou out of this mess, if the both of you agreed to work for him."   
  
"Perhaps."   
  
* * *   
  
After the phone call, Yagyuu set the phone down onto the coffee table and closed his eyes.    
  
He felt a weight sink onto the sofa next to him, and opened his eyes to light. He turned his head and saw Niou leaning on the couch with his good arm pressed against the back of it. "Yanagi-san is coming with tweezers soon," Yagyuu informed him.    
  
"Fun." His coloring was much improved, though he still looked a little pale.    
  
They sat that way for a while, neither of them talking very much, just staring at one another in an exhausted sort of way. It would have been enjoyable, if not for the fact that Niou had a bullet in his arm and Yagyuu had the beginnings of a headache. Perhaps it would be best to tell Niou now, about MDN and about Yamato helping. Yagyuu was about to turn to him and say something when the doorbell rang.    
  
He didn't open it all the way-Niou was still on the couch, and Yanagi's eyesight was far too good. Of course, Niou spoiled the effort by calling out, "Yo, Yanagi," in that scratchy voice, and Yagyuu saw the thoughtful look on Yanagi's face as he called back a greeting. He looked back at Yagyuu, lifted a small paper bag and held it out.   
  
"I hope this is what you needed."    
  
Yagyuu took it. "Thank you. I'm sure it will be fine."    
  
"There are antibiotic pills in the small container, too."    
  
Yagyuu felt an overwhelming urge to scrub his face with his hands. He heard Niou's soft chuckle in the background. "Thank you."   
  
After an awkward moment of silence, Yanagi smiled at him. "I should get to work before Genichirou has my head for neglecting my duties," he said. It was a good effort, but Yagyuu knew Sanada wasn't likely to get angry at him just for being a little late.    
  
"Yes," Yagyuu agreed anyway, and they said their goodbyes. He turned back to Niou after the door closed. The tweezers were still in their packaging, of course, and he extracted it easily.   
  
Niou gave them a wry look and readied himself to get up. "Let's get this over with, then."    
  
* * *   
  
They were smoking in the bathroom again. Yagyuu didn’t think two times were enough to get him addicted, but he didn’t refuse when Niou offered him a cigarette after they took the bullet out. Niou was even paler than he had been earlier, but they had antibiotics, and after they cleaned up Yagyuu could make him a hearty meal. Something with red meat.    
  
When had this man become so important?    
  
“So why’d you quit your job? What was your job?” Trust Niou to ask the right question at exactly the right time.    
  
“I worked for MDN,” Yagyuu revealed.    
  
“Shit.” From the look of Niou’s face, it seemed as though he didn’t know whether or laugh or curse again. He settled for the latter. “Shit. Why’d you quit?”    
  
“I was becoming dull. Or I thought I was. I didn’t want to make a mistake that would cost the company, or worse, be fatal.” He rolled the cigarette between his fingers, watching as the ash fell from the tip and drifted down toward the ground. “I’m thinking of going back.”    
  
He told Niou about the conversation that he had with Yanagi, emphasizing the fact that Yamato would offer protection to his employers.   
  
“So you think we should ask this guy for help?”    
  
“A trade,” Yagyuu corrected. “Our services for his. Yamato possesses enough resources to bargain evenly with Fuji Shuusuke, and we do not.”    
  
“What makes you think he’ll want you back? That he’ll want me?”    
  
Yagyuu couldn’t exactly tell Niou that Yanagi said so, so it must have been true. “It doesn’t hurt to ask, does it? If anything, Yamato won’t want to go against one of his old employees.” Yamato had a surprisingly sentimental side, despite the business he was in.   
  
He looked at Niou, waiting for his answer. After a moment’s thought, Niou nodded slowly. “Okay, fine. Let’s talk to him.”    
  
* * *   
  
Epilogue   
  
“You know, I like Yamato,” Niou commented as Yagyuu unlocked the door to the apartment. Yagyuu turned, cast him an amused glance.   
  
“Most people are either intimidated or perturbed by Yamato Yuudai,” he said. Niou decided not to point out that Yagyuu liked him too. Yagyuu already knew that.   
  
They’d just gotten back from Niou’s first meeting with the notorious leader of MDN Co., and Niou was in an especially good mood. It was finally over and Fuji Shuusuke wasn’t after him anymore.    
  
It turned out that Fuji Shuusuke was after Niou for the vase that he’d stolen along with the pictures.    
  
“Apparently, when our friend Fuji was the curator for the national museum,” Yamato had explained, “he hadn’t been very scrupulous about things like setting the museum on fire, passing all the goods off as destroyed, and stealing them all for black market sales. The vase was proof that the goods hadn’t been destroyed, and he just wanted it back, is all.” The fact that Fuji also probably wanted to bury Niou along with the evidence wasn’t mentioned. Yamato had taken care of it somehow. Bargaining, Yagyuu had called it.   
  
None of it was important, really. What was important was that Niou was free to do what he liked again-with the exception of snatching souvenirs on jobs, of course. How was he to know that the vase was special? Fuji had it locked up in a drawer with a whole bunch of other crap. It was just Niou’s luck.    
  
Speaking of luck…   
  
“Why’d you do it?” he asked Yagyuu.   
  
Yagyuu was in the process of organizing the pantry. He stopped and looked over at Niou. “Do what?”   
  
Niou shrugged. “Any of it.”    
  
Yagyuu shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve been wondering myself.” He chuckled. “Yanagi says it’s a mystery.”    
  
“Solved it yet?” Niou asked, watching Yagyuu’s face. His expression didn’t exactly soften so much as relax itself.    
  
“No.” His expression didn’t exactly soften so much as relax itself. “But perhaps eventually?”    
  
“Yeah,” Niou agreed. “Maybe eventually.”    
  
THE END


End file.
